


If You Want It To Be

by Moonglisten



Category: Long Exposure (Webcomic)
Genre: 7-eleven dates, Blushing, First Kiss, Fluff, Gross slushie combinations, Lots of blushing, M/M, i live for the nervous pining boys, i love these boys so much, you can pry the idea of mitjo having 7-eleven dates from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 22:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14657748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonglisten/pseuds/Moonglisten
Summary: Sneaking out of the house is bad enough, but sneaking out with Mitch Mueller to go on secret dates is even worse. That is, if going to 7-eleven at three am counted as a date.





	If You Want It To Be

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at 3 am and have been editing it slowly so it might be a complete mess. But enjoy anyway because I love these fluffy boys <33

2:41 am was the time on the alarm clock, standard red text reflecting the numbers' dim light onto Jonas' face. His eyes were heavy, per usual, and he twisted his feet underneath his covers impatiently. His hair was still damp from the shower he'd taken hours ago, and he was wearing tomorrow's outfit. Everything felt way too stiff and he shuffled under the covers, trying to readjust himself to feel a little less cramped. Not finding any position suitable, he just threw the sheets off of him, settling for a messy bed instead.   
His brain was hyperactive for a time so late at night, and he suddenly wished he had this kind of energy when it came time to do homework or to sit through a boring class.  
He sighed quietly and watched as the time flipped to 2:42 am.   
This was driving him nuts. He really didn't like sitting still, even though he did it seven hours a day, five days a week. He knew he should be sleeping right now, just like every other responsible person who actually took care of them self. Ha.  
He already knew he'd be tired tomorrow, so what was the use of getting a good amount of sleep?   
He reached for his nightstand, feeling his phone, and turning on the screen as he brought it to his face. There were no texts or notifications, a blank screen staring up at him.  
The time read 2:43 am.   
Screw it. Who cares if he was early?  
He slowly got out of bed, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Thankfully, his bed didn't creak, and when he put his feet on the floor it didn't squeak. He mentally congratulated himself on the new accomplishment and tiptoed to the door, grabbing his classic yellow hat on the way out. With a quick glance to the hallway, he walked out of his room, keeping a steady eye on Dean and Sue's bedroom door. He had never felt so heavy as he slowly moved past, his body barely moving as his feet carried him carefully by. After safely making it past there, he raced down the carpeted stairs using weeks of practicing being light on his feet to make it down without a sound. He chuckled to himself quietly as he shrugged his jacket on, shoved his phone into his pocket, threw his hat on over his curls, and quietly opened the front door. 

The night air was cool against his face as he grabbed his skateboard from his regular spot in the front bush and hopped on. He pushed to give himself momentum and rode happily into the night, relishing in the empty streets and dim light poles. As if on instinct, his lights appeared, trailing behind him in a happy yellow, doing a better job of lighting up the sky than the stars ever could.  
A small smile made its way onto his face, as he tasted freedom, whizzing by the rows of houses and finally onto the street sidewalks. On the main road, a couple cars were still out, mostly just the weirdos who decided they wanted Taco Bell at three am, but still something to be careful of. As his board slowed down, he took out his phone and checked the time.   
2:55 am.   
He grinned and put his phone back into his jacket pocket, pedaling a bit more to get his speed back up. As if on cue, he rounded a corner and was met with the familiar fluorescent lights that seemed to blind him every time he came. The 7-eleven sign had never looked so inviting, the light of the "n" flickering on and off, as it usually did. As he looked up at the sign, a trail of smoke made him tilt his head down, meeting the eyes of a familiar dirty blonde. Mitch took a long draw of his cigarette, and let it out with a lazy grin, the smoke pushing through his teeth and into the night air. As he got closer, Mitch dropped his cigarette onto the ground, stepping out the little bits that glowed red and orange, and looked back up at him. Jonas abandoned his skateboard, holding it under one arm as he walked over with a wave. Mitch gave him a finger gun.  
"Wassup' nerd" Mitch said, meeting him halfway, stealing his hat and running his hands through his curls. Jonas pretended to act offended, pressing a hand against his chest dramatically.  
"Ugh! How could you? Can't you see I did something new to my hair?" He said, with a little too much flamboyant energy.  
Mitch stared down at him for a second, blinking once, twice.   
"Ohhhh" He said once Jonas couldn't hold back his smile.  
"Yer fuckin' with me Spots" he said with a nasty laugh, lazily putting Jonas' hat back on his head.   
Jonas laughed himself as Mitch threw an arm across his shoulder, dragging him inside the rundown gas station and into even brighter lights. The hum of the slushie machines rang throughout the empty store, the only other sound being the pop of the cashier's bubble gum. The place smelled strongly like nail polish and Jonas glanced back at Deborah, already knowing that she was applying a new coat of hot pink nail polish to her overgrown nails. Combined with the nasty smell of gas station food, Mitch smelled like cigarettes, but he'd grown used to the scent whenever they'd hung out so he didn't mind as much. They walked through the store slower than usual, due to the weight draped across Jonas' shoulders, but they soon made it to their main stop. In front of them stood the slushie machines, the annoying whirring of them almost enough to give Jonas a headache.   
"What flavor are ya feeling today Joey?" Mitch said, retracting his hand and picking up two of the biggest cups they had. He handed one to Jonas and already went for the Coke flavor. Classic.  
Mitch always went for Coke, since it was apparently his favorite. He'd tried Jonas' usual blue raspberry and he didn't mind mixing cherry with his Coke sometimes, but he usually stuck to one thing.   
"Tonight feels like a mix" he said with excitement, filling up his cup with different flavors. Blue raspberry, grape Fanta, Piña colada, cherry, and to top it all off, Coke.   
Mitch stared down in horror as Jonas topped it with a lid and stuck a straw through, mixing it with a devious smirk.  
"I know m' a gross person but that's jus' sick" he said, taking a sip of his slushie and ignoring Jonas' laughs that ensued beside him. Together they walked to the register, Mitch grabbing a pack of FruitStripe gum as they went along, muttering something about how bad his smoke breath must smell. Jonas only smiled, taking note that he remembered the time Jonas had complained about the smell.   
Deborah didn't look her best tonight, and Jonas could tell her patience was running thin as she rang them up. There was a puddle of hot pink nail polish on the counter from where her bottle tipped over and leaked out. He watched her grimace at it as the total popped up on the old machine. "$4.65 boys" she said, her voice long and drawn out, accompanied by a nasty cough that could only be caused by over excessive smoking. Jonas went to reach into his pocket and stopped dead in his tracks when he felt only his phone.   
"Oh crap..." Jonas said, remembering that he completely forgot his money in his nightstand.  
Mitch stared down at him expectantly.  
"Sorry Mitch... I forgot money..." he said sheepishly.  
"Pff Joey, did ya forget that it's my week ta pay?" Mitch said with a cat like grin, taking out a crumpled five dollar bill and telling Deborah to "keep the change" with a wink.

As they left, Jonas sighed in relief, slurping up his mysterious concoction as Mitch draped his arm around him once again. Together they sat on the curb of the sidewalk, staring up at the sky as they stretched their legs onto the road. The moon was bright tonight and Jonas felt more alive than ever, slurping down his sugary mix that tasted like heaven and hell combined.

They did this routine every week, meeting together on Tuesday nights and just hanging out. They always swapped out who bought every week so it was convenient for the both of them. Jonas had been hesitant when Mitch first introduced the idea, of course worrying about his sleeping schedule and about strangers. Mitch made it very clear that he'd take care of any strangers that messed with them, pulling out his pocketknife for visual proof. And he eventually convinced him saying, "everyone needs'a break Joey. I know yer' schedule is usually tight so ya never get ta do random junk like this". It also might've been the way that he'd looked at Jonas when he was about to deny again, sadness buried in the depths of his eyes. When he had finally agreed, the smile that lit up Mitch's face was way better than any $2 slushie that he'd had for the past month. So here he was.  
As he stared at the moon though, a thought occurred to him. Maybe it was the sugar, or maybe it was the way his mind kind of blurred his thoughts this early in the morning but... Was this considered a date?  
The thought made his heart beat a little faster than before and he could feel his face naturally heating up. Good thing it was dark.  
Jonas cast a sideways glance towards Mitch, watching how his eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he looked to the sky expectantly. It was endearing...  
What if this really was a date? All of the times they'd come, all dates? Was that even a possibility?   
Jonas found himself caught in a stare, watching how Mitch ran his free hand through his hair unconsciously, eyes still locked on the bright sky.   
Was if really possible that Mitch had meant it that way? That he cared about him in the same way that Jonas cared about him? Did he return his feelings? Was this some sign that he should've looked for during the very first "date"?  
Mitch must've felt him staring because he turned his head to watch him, smiling a sugary sweet smile as Jonas quickly looked away.   
Maybe not...

"I spyyyyy, er.. somethin' grey"   
Jonas glanced around, his eyes searching the area for anything that looked too dull and not lit up with white light. When he didn't find anything he looked back at Mitch, reading the expression on his face that practically screamed "yer' gonna lose nerd".  
"The road?" He said hesitantly, and Mitch made sure to make a noise similar to a game show when the recipient gets the answer wrong.  
"Wronngggg it's yer shirt Spots" he said, pulling on the fabric that wasn't covered up by his jacket.  
Jonas pouted and pushed his lips out, making Mitch laugh at his ridiculous face.   
"I spy something red" he said quickly, Mitch slowing down his laughter to look around. He watched Mitch's eye flick to Deborah's red car, but before he could say something, Jonas made a noise similar to his.   
"Wronggggg" he drawled, smirking in triumph as Mitch gave him a confused glance.   
"It's your face" he said, snickering under his breath as Mitch avoided eye contact, taking another sip of his drink, his face darkening in embarrassment.   
"M'kay then I spy somethin' green" he said, sipping at his slushie as he looked up to the moon. Jonas eyed him and looked around them.  
"The trees" he said, pointing directly in front of them. The convenient part about this 7-eleven was that it was a bit farther away from the main bustle of the town, so it didn't attract the usual three am weirdos, despite them of course.  
Mitch shook his head, keeping his mouth shut, a silent gesture to keep guessing.  
Jonas scanned the perimeter, pointing to the glow of the green "eleven" on the main sign.   
Again, Mitch shook his head.  
Jonas stared at his surroundings in confusion, his eyebrows drawn down as he worried his lip between his teeth.  
"Is it-"  
"Eyes Spots" he said, earning a confused glance from Jonas. Mitch finally looked at him and pointed to his own eye.  
"Yer eyes, they're green" he said.  
"They're nice" he mumbled after, looking the opposite direction as he said it.  
"Oh" Jonas said, his face heating up now, not exactly knowing how to process a compliment.  
"Thanks...?" He said slowly, clearing his throat when the silence was a bit awkward.  
"I spy..."   
He looked around and saw the pack of gum hanging from Mitch's pocket.  
"Something yellow" he said with a smile, glancing up at Mitch and watching him as he checked every place nearby.   
"Ah!" Mitch said triumphantly with a toothy grin.   
"Yer lights Spots, eeeeeeeasyyyy" he drawled, bringing his hand up and running it through the yellow light that filtered through the air. Jonas hadn't even noticed his own lights but his heart beat nervously at the revelation. Sure, he was happy now, that was a given. But what if he got nervous? Would Mitch be able to tell? His own colors could practically give away any emotion he was trying to suppress and now wasn't the best time to suppress anything. Maybe if he didn't think about it then nothing would happen.

Karma decided to be a bitch. Just as if he said the words out loud, green light spiked through the air, cutting through the happy yellow. Mitch made a confused face and looked down to Jonas for explanation.  
Jonas avoided eye contact and fiddled with his hands, biting the inside of his cheek.  
"Do ya not like the game jo?"   
"No no! It's not that it's just.."  
Jonas bit his cheek harder, his face reddening. How do you explain to someone that you like them and that you wish this was a date? How do you do that without making the situation completely awkward? What if that was the opposite of what was happening here and Mitch just wanted to be friends.   
"Joey, c'mon... you can tell me anything botherin' ya" Mitch said with a small smile, his hand coming up to gently pat his back.  
The contact made Jonas let out a long breath and close his eyes for a second.  
You know what, life was too short to mess around and beat around the bush.  
Fuck it.  
"Isthisadate?" He said quickly, face already flushed.  
Mitch only looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.  
"Hm?"   
"Sorry... just.. I've been thinking about how we do this every week" Jonas started, looking down at the cracked road underneath their feet.  
He could see Mitch nodding from his peripheral.  
"And I don't know... I guess I was just thinking and..."  
"Spit it out spots"  
"Is this a date?" Jonas said quickly and a bit louder than he intended to.   
Mitch looked at him with a blank stare for a solid two seconds before bursting out laughing. Jonas' heart sank. Oh god... what had he done.  
Jonas' lights were back full blast, dulled with dark blues and greens that lit up the night sky in a distressed spasm of colors.  
Mitch didn't stop laughing for a good minute, the only comprehendible things that came from his mouth being short words that he still couldn't exactly understand.  
"Joey... Joey.. hahHAH... hhehe Joey is that it?" He said, holding his stomach and chuckling under his breath.  
When Jonas didn't respond, Mitch just gave him a smirk and sat up straight, looking down at the shorter boy. Even as they sat together, Mitch still towered over him.  
Jonas gulped. Here it comes...  
"If you want it to be"   
Jonas stopped his quivering, his lights flashing a confused greenish-yellow mixture as he looked at Mitch with wide eyes.  
"W-what?"   
Mitch leaned down, his face inching closer and closer to Jonas', his smile growing by the second. Just as Mitch was only inches away he whispered.  
"You heard me"  
And then something in Jonas' head clicked. Something about how this was his chance. How this was an opportunity he'd never get back. How, even if Mitch Mueller didn't feel the same, he'd still gotten to kiss his crush. And then, Jonas closed the distance between them, awkwardly pressing his lips to Mitch's. It felt... weird... but.. a good weird. Mitch's lips tasted like the Coke flavored slushie and his breathe smelled like cigarettes. His eyes had closed as soon as he'd initiated the kiss but he imaged Mitch's look of surprise because he wasn't kissing back. And then, as soon as he'd done it, he was pulling away, avoiding eye contact with Mitch immediately, trying to press his body away from his.  
Then, things went quiet. Jonas kept his eyes glued to the ground, not daring to say a word. All he could hear was the distant noise of cars on the street late at night, and the faint chirp of crickets. His palms were sweaty and his face was probably as red as a tomato but he ignored that. What would Mitch say?  
"Oh" he heard from next to him, a whisper barely leaving Mitch's lips.   
"Yeah..." Jonas responded, unconsciously running his tongue over the outside of his lips, surprised to find the faint taste of Coke still there.   
"Jonas"   
Jonas stayed where he was, not daring to look or respond to Mitch. He knew what he'd have to face and he wanted to draw out his time before then.   
Mitch would tell him that he wasn't interested, that his statement was a joke, that this friendship wouldn't work out anymore. Even if it was spent in silence, he wanted to avoid that outcome, even if for just a couple more seconds.  
"Jonas"  
God, Mitch had to stop saying his name. On the other hand, would he ever hear it again coming from him? Probably not. Oh, that kind of hurt to think about.  
"Jonas" Mitch said firmly, placing a hand on Jonas' shoulder. Jonas finally looked up at him, just in time to be yanked forward.   
"Mitch! What the hell!" He yelped, but was soon hushed by the press of Mitch's lips against his, soft and slow.   
He was kissing him. Mitch Mueller was kissing him...   
Mitch Mueller was kissing him! And he... he was kissing back!  
The strong scent of cigarettes was back, as well as the faint taste of Coke, as their lips met together. It was awkward at first, Jonas' head not being tilted at the right angle, but a calloused hand was on his cheek in an instant, guiding him. Their lips pressing together gave Jonas chills, his whole body suddenly feeling like a shook up soda can. His being felt fizzy and for some reason, he loved it. It was like an adrenaline rush. And yet, even though Jonas felt more energetic than he had in a long time, the kiss was still soft. So soft, so slow, so perfect. Mitch's lips were rough, dried and cracked, but he didn't mind it one bit. He was only focused on the buzzy feeling in his lips, the hand on his cheek, and the closeness of Mitch's body to his.   
Just as Jonas was about to give a lazy attempt at deepening the kiss, Mitch pulled back. Jonas opened his eyes and was met with a wide eyed Mitch, looking as if he just saw President Obama's vagina. Jonas wore a similar expression, but with more worry than surprise. Mitch still had a hand on his cheek, his calloused fingers being more gentle than he had imagined. Mitch opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He just continued to stare, mouth opening and closing, at a loss for words. Then, as if deciding that he just couldn't talk, Mitch just chuckled lightly. Jonas' worry was back in an instant.  
"W-what?" Jonas said, trying to scoot away from Mitch to avoid embarrassment. Mitch kept a sturdy grip on his back though, hand still firm but gentle on his cheek.  
"Wow" Mitch said, still chuckling lightly, letting out a long breath.  
"I didn't know you had that in ya Joey" he said with a toothy smirk, eyes crinkling with his smile. It was one of the most genuine smiles he'd ever seen on the taller teen. Jonas' face got even redder.  
"Yeah, well... maybe I've had that in me for a while" he said, not breaking eye contact. This was one of the boldest things he'd ever done and he felt as if his heart was going to pop out of his chest. Mitch only looked slightly baffled and red faced before he settled for another dopey grin.  
"Same" he said cheekily, accompanied by Jonas' chuckling.  
"Pff you dum dum, I just gave you a confession and all you have to say is same?" He said with a laugh.  
"I mean, what else s' there ta say?" Mitch said, laughing lightly with Jonas.   
"Dork"   
"Nerd"  
"You love me"  
"And you love me"   
"Sure dummy" 

Their drinks were long forgotten as their laughter filled the night, accompanied by strawberry lemonade swirls of light that lit up the sky.


End file.
